Brazil’s lower house gave preliminary approval to a proposal to overhaul the country’s labyrinthine tax rules, a goal

TL;DR: As of October 21, get a lifetime subscription to FastestVPN for only $29.97 —

When archaeologists explored an underwater cavern in southern Mexico in 2014, they were shocked by what they found. The cavern is known as Sac Uayum, and is located in Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula. It is technically a cenote – a natural pit that comes about after limestone bedrock collapses, exposing groundwater beneath. Local villagers were said to be terrified of the spot, because pits like this were sometimes used by the ancient Maya for sacrificial offerings. Archaeologist Bradley Russell, from College of St Rose, and a group of divers scaled down roughly 20 metres into the unknown. Inside the pit were two chambers with human bones and skulls scattered across the floors of each. The skulls were elongated, as part of an ancient practice that is thought to have involved flattening people’s heads during infancy. Archaeologists still don’t know why the ancient culture did this – but it ain't pretty. The cenote sits just outside the ruins of the ancient Maya city of Mayapán, and the researchers think this shows that, like the modern day locals, the ancient Mayans kept their distance too. Local legend says that Sac Uayum is guarded by a feathered, horse-headed serpent. Older residents of the nearby village of Telchaquillo tell stories of people seeing the serpent perching in a tree, leaping up, spinning around three times, and diving into the water. Russell explained to National Geographic that the sinkhole is said to be “evil”. “To this day, people do not get drinking water from that cenote, it is generally considered taboo. “It’s off-limits, people do not let their children plan near there and there’s a lot of beliefs around this cenote having evil forces or malevolent forces associated with it. “Cenotes are important because the main access to the water that you get is through these sinkholes. “They are also believed to be access to the Mayan underworld and the homes of Gods. “Mayapan is a large city, it’s incredibly dense, there’s nothing like it in the classic period, it’s incredibly dense for Maya history, there’s nothing quite like it.” He added that the location of Sac Uayum – south of Mayapan – is a clue as to what was going on. In Maya beliefs, south is the direction associated with the underworld. Alternatively, Russell also suggested they could have been plague victims. "You wouldn't want them near the rest of the population. And you wouldn't want to drink the water either.” How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Sign up to our free indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

'Things were not working between them and he’s relieved to be out of the relationship,' a source said referring to Joe Alwyn and Taylor Swift

FRANKFURT The euro zone's top banks may take a hit if their financial clients, such as funds, insurers

A federal judge in Atlanta has allowed Georgia to resume enforcing a ban on hormone replacement therapy for transgender people under 18

Here are all of the players included in the MLB The Show 22 Home Run Derby Pack including winner Juan Soto, Julio Rodriguez and many more.

Texas Tech football coach Joey McGuire honors the late, great Mike Leach at Big 12 Media Days.It is still so incredibly sad that "The Pirate" Mike Leach is no longer with us.The former Texas Tech, Washington State and Mississippi State head football coach passed away during the hol...

Spain is stripping deceased former Chilean leader Gen. Augusto Pinochet of a Spanish military honor bestowed on him more than 40 years ago by the country’s former dictator, Gen. Francisco Franco

Singer Dua Lipa stole the show with a very NSFW dress at the premiere of the Barbie movie in Los Angeles. On Sunday night, celebrities from across the entertainment industry gathered to celebrate the hotly-anticipated film, with everyone from Gal Gadot to Issa Rae taking to the pink carpet. Pop star Dua Lipa was in attendance having performed a song on the film’s soundtrack and making her acting debut with a small role as Mermaid Barbie. The three-time Grammy winner certainly caught the eye with her revealing outfit as she wore a sheer, floor-length silver chain mail Bottega Veneta gown with no bra and a white thong. She accessorised the dress with jewellery from Tiffany’s and a pair of silver Bottega Veneta rocket mules. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter In an interview with Dazed, Dua Lipa said she had been wanting to work with the director Greta Gerwig for a long time, because her films “never really feel like the male gaze. They have very interesting female protagonists”. She continued: “The film ― and there’s a lot of diversity in the cast ― is touching exactly on the buttons that maybe it presses, and shows a different story.” Dua Lipa also explained the film’s soundtrack is inspired by disco, adding, “There’s a lot of very glittery and pop moments in it”. And, her small role in the Barbie movie appears to be the first of her new acting venture as the singer has also secured a part in the spy-thriller movie Argylle, also featuring Henry Cavill and Bryce Dallas Howard. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

The US is the largest donor to Ukraine in terms of money spent, but do Americans support the cause?

North Korea plans to launch a satellite later this month, according to Japanese media, firing off a space